


Ruled by The Moon

by Fydo246



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-10 09:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13498916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fydo246/pseuds/Fydo246
Summary: Remus Lupin's life during his first year at Hogwarts. Might be more than that, we'll see.





	1. The Start of Something Great

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not really good at summaries, especially with a mostly-unfinished plot. So.. sorry. Just a heads-up as well; I don't write very often, so don't expect a consistent update schedule. I'll update when I can, and I'll announce it if I'm discontinuing it.

“But… But what if they.. What if they..” eleven-year-old Remus Lupin quietly asked his father as they stood on platform nine and three-quarters. His mother had stayed on the other side of the barrier because she was a muggle.  


“They won’t find out, Son,” his father, Lyall Lupin, assured him. “Dumbledore took every precaution.”  


Remus nodded and looked out at all the people bustling around the small platform. Then, he looked back at his father, and hugged him.  


“I’ll see you at Christmas,” Remus said as he let go. He took a deep breath and walked into the crowd. He found a door on the Hogwarts Express and hopped into the train. He made his way along the small corridor, but stopped in front of a window to wave to his father.  


Remus stayed at the window until he could no longer see the platform. Then, he decided he should probably sit down. He made his way to the back of the train, looking in the compartments through the windows to see if any of them had space (and weren’t occupied by what seemed to be seventh-years.) None of them did.  


Finally, he reached the very back of the train. In the last compartment, only two boys sat. They looked to be about Remus’s age. Both had black hair, but in very different styles; one of them, who sat a little taller than the other, had hair that went down to his shoulders, and the other had hair that stood up every-which-way. The crazy-haired boy had hazel eyes that were covered by glasses, and the other had grey eyes, but they weren’t cold. Both of them were laughing.  


Remus opened the door, and peeked his head in.  


“Um…” he started. “Do you… Uh… Do you mind if I sit here?”  


The boys looked up.  


“Sure,” the taller one said. Remus smiled and sat down in the spot closest to the door after putting his things in the luggage rack.  


“I’m James,” said the crazy-haired one. “James Potter.”  


“Sirius Black,” said the other.  


“I’m R-Remus Lupin,” Remus said. “Um.. Nice to meet you.”  


“You too,” they said, before going back to… whatever they were doing before Remus had walked in. While they continued laughing and obviously having fun, Remus took out a book and started to read.  


After a while of doing this, the woman with the trolley of sweets came by.  


“Anything off the trolley, dears?” she asked. James and Sirius bought Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Licorice Wands, and other random candies while Remus simply bought a few Chocolate Frogs.  


“What House do you guys think you’ll be in?” James asked, his mouth full of Cauldron Cake. “My whole family’s been in Gryffindor, _where dwell the brave at heart_. I’m probably going there, too. Not that I’d want to be anywhere else.”  


“My family’s full of Slytherin,” Sirius said, somewhat sadly. “I’m probably going there, but I don’t want to be. Gryffindor’s better. What about you, Remus?”  


“Uh, well,” Remus started. “My dad’s a wizard, and he was in Gryffindor, but my mom’s a muggle. I don’t know what house I’d want to be in, they all sound great—”  


“Except for Slytherin!” James put in.  


“Except for Slytherin,” amended Remus.  


“Oh, hey!” Sirius exclaimed, holding Remus’s Chocolate Frog card. He turned it around so they could see. “You’ve got Newt Scamander!”  


“Really?” Remus said, looking at the card. “He’s one of the only ones I haven’t got yet!” He pocketed the card when Sirius handed it over. James leaned over and grabbed one of the remaining Frogs.  


“Can I eat this?” he asked, brandishing the package.  


“Go ahead,” Remus said. James tore at the paper surrounding the treat. He popped the chocolate into his mouth before it could hop away and looked at the card.  


“OH, _HEY_!” James nearly shouted. “Tina Lundstrom!”  


“Who’s that?” Remus asked curiously.  


“Captain and Seeker for the Nordic National Quidditch Team,” Sirius said.  


“Speaking of Quidditch,” said James, suddenly excited. “I can’t wait for the Quidditch season to start!”  


“Yeah!” agreed Sirius. “Too bad we can’t try out for the team till next year.”  


“I know, right? Honestly. First years should be able to try out, at least. They don’t have to put us on the team, but what if a first year has a lot of talent? The team could be missing out!”  


Remus sat, listening to their conversation. They were both so passionate about the sport. He joined in once in awhile, if he had something to say, but ultimately stayed silent. He didn’t really understand why people obsessed over it so much.  


Eventually, they arrived at Hogsmeade Station and all the students left the train and crowded onto the platform.  


“Firs’ years! Firs’ years, over here!”  


Remus looked to where the voice came from and saw a giant man standing with a lantern next to some boats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this first chapter! I hope you enjoyed. As previously stated, updates won't come often or consistently, but they will come. I will announce it if this story gets discontinued, I promise.


	2. First Glimpse

It was four people to a boat, so Remus, Sirius, and James had gotten one with a small, mousy-haired boy by the name of Peter Pettigrew. Sirius and James mostly ignored him, but Remus tried to make friendly conversation. Peter seemed nice enough.  


After a few minutes, the students got their first view of Hogwarts. Remus was mesmerized. The castle was magnificent; it stood tall on the hill, beautifully illuminated by torchlight from inside and the Moon.  


The Moon.  


Thank God the Full Moon wasn’t until a few days later. Remus could worry about it when it comes. He wanted a chance to settle in first.  


The students kept staring, awestruck, at the castle until their boats docked. Sirius and James got out of the boat first, with Remus close behind them. Peter followed, and the four of them went with the rest of the group of First-years up the steps and into the castle. The students were immediately met with a tall, stern-looking witch with black hair and emerald green robes. She was introduced as Professor McGonagall.  


“Thank you, Hagrid,” she said. So, the giant’s name was Hagrid. “I shall take them from here.” She opened the door and everyone- bar her and Hagrid- gawked at the huge entrance hall. She led them across the room and into a small chamber to the side. The students fit, but it was crowded.  


“Welcome to Hogwarts,” Professor McGonagall said. “The start-of-term feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is very important because, while you are here, your house will be like your family. You have classes with them, sleep in house dormitories, and spend free time in your common rooms.  


“The houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each has a noble history, and they are all just as good as the rest. While you are here, your triumphs will earn your house points, and rule-breaking will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup.  


“The Sorting Ceremony will commence in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you make yourselves look presentable in the meantime.”  


Remus looked at himself. His robe was fairly new, at least, so he didn’t have to worry about that. What he was most worried about was the fact that it was in front of the rest of the school. All eyes would be on him when it was his turn. Everyone would be waiting for the Hat’s decision. And what would the decision even be? Would he be placed in Gryffindor, as he was sure James would be, or Ravenclaw? His parents had always said he was clever. Or maybe he’d be in Hufflepuff. He nearly laughed at that. A werewolf, in Hufflepuff? That’d be just about one of the most ironic things that had ever happened to him. And then there was the possibility of Slytherin. It was probably likely that he’d be there, simply because he was a werewolf. A dark creature in the house with a reputation of dark wizards.  


_I’d fit right in_ , Remus thought bitterly.  


A couple moments later, McGonagall returned. She made the First-years form a line and led them into another room. This one was huge, with four long tables full of students running the length of the hall and another table at the end with the staff. The ceiling… Wait, was there a ceiling? Remus mentally slapped himself. Of course there was a ceiling. He’d been told about it. It was enchanted, his father had said. It looked like the sky outside. Remus’s eyes were drawn to the Moon, floating there, nearly full. He shuddered. He was dreading the full moon in a few days’ time.  


James nudged Remus out of his thoughts.  


“You okay?” he asked.  


“Yeah,” Remus replied. “Just nervous.”  


James nodded and they looked back to the front of the room, where McGonagall was placing a battered old hat on a stool.  


_Must be the Sorting Hat_ , Remus thought.  


The whole room seemed to be waiting for something. After a few seconds, the Hat opened its brim and began to sing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for suffering through yet another chapter! Comments and reviews with constructive criticism or just in general are appreciated!


	3. The Sorting

“Black, Sirius,” McGonagall called out. The Sorting had started just after the Hat had stopped singing and Sirius, having a last name starting with a B, had been the third one called. He stepped up to the stool and McGonagall dropped the Hat over his head. From what Remus could see, Sirius was fighting very hard with the Hat. 

_Probably doesn’t want to be with his family_ , Remus thought. He looked over at the Slytherin table, where multiple black-haired students were watching intently. 

“GRYFFINDOR!” the Hat shouted. Sirius beamed from ear to ear. The rest of the Black family was staring at Sirius in shock as he hopped down from the stool and made his way over to the applauding Gryffindor table. 

The Sorting continued as if nothing was out of the ordinary. A few Ravenclaws here and there; a couple Hufflepuffs and Slytherins. Eventually they reached the Ls, and it wasn’t long before Remus was called up. He sat on the stool and the Hat dropped over his eyes. 

“Hmmm…” the Hat said suddenly in his head. “A werewolf, eh? Interesting…” 

Remus jumped. _Y-yes… but please don’t tell anyone_ , he thought in response to the Hat. 

“My job is to Sort you, not to reveal your secrets. Now, where to put you…?” The Hat thought for a moment. “Very clever, indeed… You’d go well in Ravenclaw… Though there’s plenty of loyalty there, too… Courageous move, coming here as a werewolf; you’d do well in Gryffindor as well… Not Slytherin, though. Definitely not Slytherin…” 

_Not Slytherin?_ Remus thought. _But I’m a werewolf, a dark creature._

“I don’t take into account whether or not you are a werewolf. Now… hm.. Not Hufflepuff… Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?” 

_I’d be fine with either, though my friends will probably be in Gryffindor._

“It’s all here, in your head… you’d rather be with your friends… It’s up to you… 

“GRYFFINDOR!” the Hat shouted to the rest of the hall. Remus hopped off the stool, took the hat off, and ran to the Gryffindor table. He sat down next to Sirius, who was grinning from ear to ear. 

They watched the Sorting together for a while longer, occasionally making quiet comments to each other. Eventually they reached the Ps, and Peter was called up. Remus and Sirius waited, watching intently to see where the smaller boy ended up. 

It actually took longer than five minutes, which is rather unusual. Eventually, though, the Sorting Hat decided on, 

“GRYFFINDOR!” 

Peter ran over and sat beside Remus. 

Next was James, and all three of them waited with baited breath. It didn’t take long, though. 

“GRYFFINDOR!” 

James sat beside Sirius. The four of them didn’t care much about the Sorting after that, so they chatted quietly among themselves and waited for the food to be served. 

After the last student was Sorted, Professor McGonagall took the Hat away and Dumbledore stood up. 

“Good evening, Students, and welcome back to another year at Hogwarts,” he began. The students cheered. “I assume you are all waiting patiently for the feast, and I assure you that it will begin soon. Before that, though, I must deliver a few announcements: 

“Firstly, a new tree has been planted on the grounds. It is called a Whomping Willow, and I must warn you not to go near it. It is very dangerous, and you could be seriously harmed.” 

Remus squirmed and tried hard not to flush. The tree had been planted because of him. 

“Why would they plant a dangerous tree at a school?” James asked. Remus remained silent; he couldn’t just tell them what he was! They’d hate him, and the year hadn’t even started yet! 

“A reminder, again, to all students that the Forbidden Forest is- as the name implies- forbidden. You may not go in,” Dumbledore continued, as if the arrival of a Whomping Willow on the grounds was a casual and completely normal affair. “Filch has also added more objects to his list of banned items in the school. This list can be found outside his office. Now, without further ado… 

“Let the feast begin!”


	4. Lily

The feast was delicious. There was all different kinds of foods, from steak (oh, the delicious steak), to cheese (which Peter took an immediate liking to), to everything else. It was incredible, what House Elves could do. Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James dug in, filling their plates completely.  


Remus noticed that James kept glancing over at a redhead, who sat a little ways away at the Gryffindor table. Suddenly, James stood up, and walked over to the girl. Remus watched as James introduced himself and they talked. Not long after, though, the girl abruptly turned away with a sour expression. James returned to the group, sulking.  


“Who was that, James?” Remus asked, causing Sirius and Peter to look up from their meal.  


“A beautiful Lilyflower,” James replied.  


“Ooo, does Jamesie have a crush?” Sirius said in an almost sing-song tone.  


“No!” James nearly yelled. The others laughed; it was obvious that he had a crush on her.  


“What did you do to make her reject you?” Remus asked, referring to when she had turned away quickly.  


“I--”  


“I bet he annoyed her and asked her out!” Sirius interrupted.  


“Well, I--”  


“Or, he tried to kiss her!” Sirius continued, not letting James talk.  


“No! I just said she was pretty and asked why she was hanging out with that slimy-haired kid earlier. I saw them together at the station.”  


“And you actually called him “That Slimy-Haired Kid,” didn’t you?” Remus guessed.  


“No-- I… Yes,” James admitted. “What else was I supposed to call him?”  


Remus shook his head and stood up.  


“Where are you going?” James asked.  


“To apologize for you,” Remus said. He walked over to where the redhead was seated and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, ready to tell someone to bugger off (presumably James), but relaxed slightly when she saw that it wasn’t, in fact, James.  


“Hi,” Remus started. “I just came to apologize for my friend. He can be a bit of a…”  


“Toe rag?” the redhead supplied.  


“I wouldn’t say that outright, but yeah. He can be a bit of a toe rag sometimes,” Remus finished. “I’m Remus by the way; Remus Lupin.”  


“Lily Evans,” she said. “You seem sensible enough. Maybe you can keep the toerag under control.”  


Remus laughed a bit at that. “Maybe. Anyway, just wanted to say sorry. I’ll see you around?”  


“Sure,” Lily said, turning back to her food. Remus walked back to James, Sirius, and Peter. James was looking at him with his mouth open as Remus sat down again.  


“What?” Remus asked.  


“How did you do that?” James asked, incredulous.  


“Do what?”  


“She seemed to _like_ you!” James exclaimed.  


“Well, I was apologizing for _you_ , and I wasn’t insulting anyone. Maybe that helped.” Remus finished his meal as the plates cleared and were filled with delicious-looking desserts. Remus’s eyes widened at the amount of chocolatey goodness that he was exposed to. He was in paradise. He dug in, taking bits and pieces of everything from chocolate pudding to chocolate cake, to.. well, everything else. He didn't want to miss out on anything during his first night; if someone found out about how lycanthropy, he wouldn't be here very long. He wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.  


When everyone had finished eating, Dumbledore sent everyone to bed. The Gryffindor prefects led the first years up the stairs- so many stairs, you would not believe how many stairs there were- and to the dormitory. At least, the entrance to the dormitory. They were just standing in the corridor in front of a painting of a fat lady in pink.  


“ _Draco celare_ ,” one of the prefects said to the painting. It swung open to reveal a round room filled with armchairs and couches. It looked very homey, from what Remus could tell. The prefects led them inside and stopped them at the foot of a staircase.  


“The boys dormitories are up the stairs and to the right,” said the one who had spoken earlier.  


“And girls, your dormitory is up the stairs and to the left,” said the other. “All your things are already up there.”  


The prefects walked up the stairs, presumably to their own dormitories. Lily and the other girls left as well, leaving Remus with Sirius, James, and Peter in the common room.  


“D’you think it was a coincidence that all of us ended up in the same House with no other guys?” Peter asked. “I mean, we were all in the same boat. I don’t think it was just coincidence.”  


“Mate, if it was fate, then I guess we’ll be the best of friends. As it is right now, I don’t care what you lot are going to do, but I’m tired, so I’m going to bed,” James said, walking up the stairs. Remus suddenly felt really exhausted, too. He followed James upstairs and to the dormitory, seeing his things at the foot of the bed next to the door. He flopped down and discovered that the mattresses here were extremely comfortable. Sirius had apparently also followed them up, and seemed unable to get off of his bed.  


“I’ve decided that this is my life now. The bed is my spouse. I am never getting up,” he said. Remus snorted, but he couldn’t bring himself to get up, either. He pulled the curtains around his bed closed, got into bed, and fell asleep without even changing into his pyjamas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank Tumblr for what Sirius says at the end about the amount of comf that is his bed. I don't remember the URL of the person who originally made the post, but thank you. It is beautiful. Also, the password to the Gryffindor common room means "Dragon hide" in Latin, if you were wondering.


	5. Classes

The next day, Remus woke up to the sound of James waking Sirius up by jumping on him. They were making quite a bit of noise; James yelling for Sirius to wake up, and Sirius groaning that it was too early.

“James, it’s quarter to seven. Let me sleep,” Sirius said tiredly. Remus huffed a small laugh at Sirius as he got out of bed. He grabbed some clothes from his trunk and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

About fifteen minutes later, after making sure no one else was in the bathroom with him, he got out of the shower and got dressed. He walked back into the dormitory to find Sirius and James fully dressed, and a half-asleep Peter trying to find something to wear. 

Once they were all dressed and Sirius had combed his hair to his liking, the four friends headed down to the Great Hall.

Well. They tried to, at least. They got lost about five times before finding an older student and asking for directions.

When they finally reached the extravagant dining hall, they sat down at the Gryffindor table and filled their plates. Remus put less on his than the others did; the full Moon was in three days and he was starting to lose his appetite. Luckily, no one really noticed. Soon, McGonagall came around and handed out everyone’s class schedules. Remus looked at his. “We have Charms first,” he said.

“Cool!” Sirius exclaimed. Remus nodded. 

They continued eating for a few more minutes before Remus stood up. “We should go,” he said. “We’ll be late if we leave any later than now. We’ll get lost, and if we leave now we have some spare time before class starts.” The others nodded and stood up as well. 

As Remus had predicted, they got lost. It took a while for them to find their way to class, and by the time they stepped into the Charms classroom, they were late. The professor turned towards them as they ran in.

“Sorry we’re late, Professor!” Remus exclaimed. “We got lost.”

“That’s quite alright, boys,” the professor responded. “It’s the very first day of classes, after all. Just take a seat.” Remus quickly did as he was asked, the others following suit.  
The class was rather boring. They didn't learn anything; the teacher just introduced himself as professor Flitwick and gave them a brief explanation of what they'd be covering this year. James and Sirius barely paid any attention. Remus wasn’t even sure if they’d heard the teacher with how much they were joking around. 

The bell rang a few minutes later, and everyone hurried to pack their things and leave for their next class, which happened to be the class Remus was most excited about; Defense Against the Dark Arts. 

Unfortunately, the first years had no idea where anything was in this school, and they got lost. Again. 

After running around pointlessly for a few minutes trying to find their class, they managed to locate an older student who showed them where to go. They thanked the student and walked in as quietly as they could, which was not nearly quiet enough. The teacher glanced their way as they walked in. She had clearly been in the middle of speaking, and didn’t appreciate being interrupted, but since it was the first day of school and they were all first years, she didn’t tell them off.

“Glad you could make it, boys,” the professor said. “What are your names?”

“James Potter,” said James confidently. 

“Sirius Black,” Sirius said.

“Peter Pettigrew,” Peter piped up.

The professor nodded to each of them in turn. Finally, she turned to Remus. 

“And you?”

“Remus Lupin,” he replied politely. The professor’s face hardened. It wasn’t a lot, but Remus noticed it. She’d heard that he was a werewolf, then. This year would be.. Interesting.  
Remus watched as the professor carefully put her face back into a welcoming smile, albeit slightly more forced than it previously was. 

“Please take your seats, boys. As I was just saying to the rest of the class, my name is Professor Morris, and I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor here at Hogwarts.”  
She went on to explain the year’s curriculum, like professor Flitwick had. The subject seemed interesting enough to Remus, but he hoped the professor’s own prejudice wouldn’t make the class more difficult. 

 

All of the day’s classes went by the same way. Arrive to class, listen to the teacher introduce themselves and explain the curriculum, rinse and repeat. But finally, after eating dinner that evening, Remus and the others had some free time. They hadn’t been given any homework yet, so there weren’t any deadlines to worry about. 

Remus relaxed back into one of the plush armchairs by the fire in the Gryffindor common room, one of his favourite books in hand. James and Peter were playing chess at a table nearby, and Sirius appeared to be sleeping on a couch. Suddenly, Sirius sat upright, staring in Remus’s direction as if trying to remember something.

“Is something the matter, Sirius?” Remus asked. Clearly something was on his mind.

“This morning,” Sirius started, “in Defense. Morris’s face changed, just a bit, when you introduced yourself.” Oh, no. Remus had hoped he was the only one to notice. “Why did she react to you, and not to us? Does she think you’ve done something horrible?” 

“Really, Sirius? Remus is the _least_ likely of all of us to do something horrible,” James said as he came over and sat beside his best friend. 

“I know, I know, it’s just.. Strange.”

Remus was scrambling for a way to respond that wouldn’t be too unusual. He couldn’t tell them the reason. He _couldn’t_. They’d hate him, they’d tell the whole school and he would have to go home after only one day. And that’s if he’s lucky. 

The conversation had continued without him, but it hadn’t derailed. Sirius turned to Remus once more and asked again.

“So? Why did she react? Is there.. Something we should know?” Yes. They should know. But Remus couldn’t tell them. Not yet, not here, not now, not ever. 

“N-no,” he said, but his voice cracked a bit. He cleared his throat and tried again. “No, I.. have no idea why she reacted that way.” _Please believe it, please believe it, please believe it…_

His friends looked at him for a moment longer than necessary, but eventually, Sirius shrugged it off.

“If you say so, mate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to get up. I don't write very often. I promise this story is not abandoned, and the next chapter will be up eventually. Thank you to anyone still here.


End file.
